Encounter at the Rock of Kuthian
by Darkfire27983
Summary: After pursuing an enemy ship to a distant planet, the soldiers of the 67th Phyrrian Royal Navy Frigate Flotilla find themselves in the center of a epic battle between good and evil. AU/OC Crossover
1. Chapter 1

Authors note- First of all, I want to thank you for the interest you have shown in the tale I have to tell. While I write for my own fulfillment, it is nice to know people are reading every once in awhile. It has been awhile since I read the Inheritance cycle, so feel free to point out any overt errors I make. This chapter doesn't have any characters or settings from the Inheritance cycle in it, but they will come soon enough. Enjoy!

**High Orbit over Skäever **

Space itself parted, a high energy particle beam lighting the night. It slashed by a Phyrrian frigate, shields flaring slightly as residual radiation impacted it. Commodore Faathra hissed in rage, claws gouging into the armrests. They had pursued this Sharoc cruiser for the past three days, its strike craft slowly wearing them down. They had in turn slowly worn away at the cruiser's fighter wing, but they still had the cruiser itself to deal with. The light cruiser possessed plenty of weaponry to dissolve them into molten globules but had strangely held itself back. It seemed to be trying to get somewhere important.

"Alright, I've had about enough of this, order the flotilla into a wedge formation, we are going in" the comms officer nodded, relaying the orders. The Phyrrian ships formed up, and accelerated, charging the enemy cruiser.

The enemy cruiser seemed to recognize its impending doom, turning to meet the flotilla head on. Missiles flew from their launch tubes, tearing through space at the formation.

"Radiologicals detected, those are hot missiles!" announced the officer manning the sensors, worry apparent in his voice.

Commodore Faathra looked up the shield status of the flotilla's ships. There's where in the best shape. "Move us between the flotilla and the missiles. Skir, do what you can to shoot em down" the Commodore hissed, his tail flicking thorough the back of his chair. Skir, the ship's AI acknowledged. As the missiles closed, the PT systems came online, lobbing large spines at the missiles. Two of the four inbound missiles outmaneuvered the barrage, but the other two were cleanly shorn in half, their warheads neutralized. The command frigate furiously lobbed spines at the others to no avail; they hit the ship, detonating in a white flash of pure energy. As the fireball cooled, the outline of the ship was still visible, but slightly blackened. The shields had absorbed most of the blast but had failed. The command frigate was completely vulnerable…

Fortunately, they were in a flotilla, and there were five other ships eager for blood. Commodore Faathra watched as the two missile frigates opened up, AB series missiles spreading out in a cloud of biological death. The Korthia class ships of the flotilla closed to weapons range, the red glow of their charged particle beams firing with hellish fury, painting the enemy cruisers shields. The ships fired again, pushing their reactors as hard as they could. The shields failed, and the missiles swarmed in, coating the ship in bacteria that rapidly went to work, digesting and dissolving the hull. The cruiser fired at the nearest frigate, its shields absorbing the particle beam blast. As the frigates fired again, the running lights on the cruiser flickered then failed entirely, the electronics of the ship compromised by the bacteria. The Commodore's ship moved up, lending its dual beams to one final volley, piercing the minimal shielding on the insects ship reactor. It lit up the night as it overloaded, sending debris flying everywhere.

"Good work everyone, Skir, send a notification to Fleet Admiral Amad, he wil-" A sudden wave of _pressure_ suddenly hit the Commodore and from what he saw, everyone else. It felt as though something were squeezing his brain.

"Skir, what the hell was that!?!" the Commodore yelled, clutching his head with his claws.

The deep voice of skir slowly responded. "Sir, I have no clue. I did read an energy fluctuation somewhere, but I can't isolate it…"

As Skir talked, another wave hit the crew of the command ship. Images flickered through Faathra's head, a fire breathing creature strafing a line of troops in medieval armor, a king upon a throne that wasn't his, a poor oppressed people struggling under the boot of a corrupt dictator. The feeling was almost unbearable, and as it cleared, Commodore Faathra could see that the ships lights were off, switched over to emergency light, as was the artificial gravity. "Skir?" the commodore called out, fearing the worst.

"Im still here Commodore, but whatever that was it seems to have knocked out our FTL and most systems flotilla wide. We're drifting… Sir, I advise that we sit down on the planet to see if we can repair. We don't have enough power to sustain this orbit, and just barely enough to make a safe landing. I read low level biologics planetside, some in early stages of civilization, but this one continent seems mostly uninhabited… As far as I can tell, whatever caused that anomaly originated from there."

The Commodore hesitated, with long range Comms offline, they had no chance of announcing their position, and it would take command years, maybe decades to find them.

"Do it, order the whole flotilla down. Let's get to the roots of this."

**Description of the Phyrrians**

**Origins**  
The Phyrrians are a race of mostly reptilian humanoids, making their home on a distant planet in the Phyrris system. The star of the Phyrris system is a F2 V class binary star, and there are four planets in the system. Their home planet, a Terra like planet is the first planet in the system orbiting at roughly .8 au. The other three planets are gas giants orbiting farther out. These planets have a variety of moons, and much of the early space expansion of the Phyrrians was concentrated in this region.

Their home planet is a very rough planet to live on. It has an average surface temperature of 37o C. Most of the planet is about 42o C, but this is counterbalanced by the severe cold at the Polar Regions. The equatorial regions are heavily volcanic, and almost completely inhospitable. This natural geographic barrier has produced interesting diversity of species, with the north having significantly less carnivorous animals then the southern hemisphere. The worst part of life on this planet is that oxygen is in significantly less availability then it is on Earth, constituting about 10% of the atmosphere, with the majority of the atmosphere composed of Argon, leading to a slight reddish tint in appearance. Its gravity is about 1.5 g.

This duality of the biomes led to an interesting evolution of species on the planet, leading to two dominant, sentient species on the planet. The species to arise in the north was mammalian in nature, while the species to the south was very reptilian in nature. Over the years as their technology advanced, they were able to cross the great equatorial barrier and, as is the nature of such things swiftly fell into conflict with each other. After a series of bloody wars, culminating in the 400 year war, the governments realized something had to be done to end the bloodshed. Calling upon their most gifted scientists and creative minds, they searched for a solution, eventually deciding to blend the species (Ironically sparked by an inter-species couple slain during the war). Though most Phyrrians agreed with the decision, there were a few holdouts that resented the decision. However, these voices were mysteriously silenced by their respective governments. While blending the species, it was decided to not only make a blended race with the best traits of both, but to modify their bodies to be more suitable to their environment (see biology section for more information). The conversion of the two species was accomplished by means of an airborne virus carrying the modified DNA. As planned, infection spread rapidly and produced the desired results, leading to the modern Phyrrian.

**Biology**

As the scientists debated what features they should include from the two master species, the decision was made (with public consensus) to modify the Phyrrians to also be more suitable for their environment. They started simple, modifying the skin cells to make them less susceptible to UV rays and able to insulate better. They settled on a keratinized solution, similar to what is present in Earth reptiles. They then examined the respiratory system. They settled on an augmented avian design, allowing for continuous respiration as opposed to the cyclical pattern of the previous races. The final change made by the team was in the regulation of body temperature, working in a countercurrent exchange system to improve efficiency.  
Due to the lack of edible plant material, most Phyrrians are generally more carnivorous and insectivorous in nature. That said, most still eat a little leafy material now and then, as a few varieties of vegetables grow on Phyrris IV, with the favorite being a carrot like plant. Due to this diet, Phyrrians have retained their muzzled face and carnivore dentition.

They have an average height of 6'2", and are bipedal, but their gait is reptilian in nature, somewhat similar to the ancient velociraptor. Their arms have a similar proportionality to humans, and their hands are a three fingered claw and opposable thumbs. Males have a series of small spines running down their back like quills, culminating in a two spiked "club" at the tip of the tail. Their tail length varies from family to family, but generally a length of 3-4 feet is the norm. The tail is relatively narrow and tapers down to the club in males or just a pointed tip in females, which can be just as dangerous. Both genders have two short horns that point back between the ear and the side of the head. Females have similar secondary sex characteristics to humans, as Phyrrians still give birth to live young and nurse them. An important feature to note about the Phyrrians, is they lack all forms of body hair. That said, both races have "sceathers" on their head, with them being longer on the females.

An interesting side note is that in recent times, the average life of the Phyrrian has been extended many times over. The current average maximum age is about 500 solar years long. This combined with a moderate birth rate has lead to increasing amounts of colonization from the Phyrrians. Fortunately, as they get to about 200 years old their aggression and anger starts to decrease until about 450 when it is all but gone. This leads most 300 year old Phyrrians to go to a different career field, usually art or science related.

**Culture**  
Phyrrian culture places heavy emphasis on the family, and usually extended families will live together in the same domicile. This is thought to possibly be due to the political system of the Phyrrians. Though they have a democratically elected body similar to a senate, there is still an executive branch of the government, although this is a monarchy. The King or Queen of the Phyrrians has always been someone who could trace their linage back to the original elected monarch at the time of the species blending. They also have a judicial branch to deal with crimes and civil cases. Technology also plays a big role in phyrrian society, and there is relatively little constraint placed on science by the government, other than not experimenting on live Phyrrians against their will. Almost all of their technology is an amalgam of their biotech knowledge with their knowledge of other sciences. For instance, their buildings are "grown" with the interiors (floors, walls, and ceilings) built from the building material of their choice, generally wood and steel. Biotech is where they shine the most at, and are the undisputed masters at the science in the known universe.

**Military**

The Phyrrian Royal Armed Forces (PRF) is comprised of two branches, the Phyrrian Royal Navy (PRN) and the Phyrrian Marines. The marines are separate, and operate under their own command structure, but take orders from the PRN admiralty. The overall commander of the PRN is a Grand Admiral. Given the expansion centric nature of their society, the PRN has multiple fleets that operate in the farthest reaches of space, each headed by a Fleet Admiral. These Expeditionary Units fill a dual role as foreword scout and exploratory force, and are generally armed with long duration ships meant to cruise for long periods without replenishment. Given their isolated nature, these fleets can become their own sub-culture. As a side note, reproduction is strictly prohibited and birth control administered regularly in these fleets, as they simply could not handle the strain of taking care of hatchlings (children, a carried over term from the reptilian original race). This said they are not well suited to waging long, high intensity naval combat and will generally try to avoid it other than hit and run actions. The other type of fleet (also headed by a Fleet Admiral) is the home defense fleets and main attack fleets. Every cluster of stars controlled by the Phyrrians has a defense fleet assigned to it, and there are several fleets purposely maintained simply to push out and take the fight to the enemy. There is also an additional fleet, the fourth fleet. This fleet isn't a fleet per se, but exists as a convenient command structure. They are in charge of logistics and supplies, as well as support actions such as intel gathering and electronic warfare. Each offensive fleet has at least some ships from the fourth fleet assigned to it.

The Phyrrian Marines are headed by the best General they have. While every Phyrrian is required to serve at least 20 Phyrris Years (Roughly 40 earth years) in the Navy, the Marines are an all volunteer service. Regardless of their volunteer status, they still have a great deal of personnel in them, roughly equal to 3/4s of the personnel of the Navy. However, they are rarely all in one place, generally split amongst the fleets to provide shipboard security and protection against boarders. In ground combat, the marines don't know the meaning of limited warfare. If they are deployed, they go all out, typically bringing in several Field Armies, depending on the target. They bring all of their own support, but are transported into battle on PRN craft. For air support, the PRN usually details several Carriers to nothing but supporting the marines, as well as several frigates(again, depending on the target, this assumes planetary invasion). All other ground vehicles and artillery support is provided by the marines themselves. Their combat tactics are roughly reflective of the navy's combat tactics. That is they favor a fast, quick force that is still hard striking. Therefore, they lack some of the heavier tanks and vehicles typically found in other armed forces.

The Phyrrians do poses another armed forces group, roughly similar to a National Guard or militia. They fall under the command of the local police forces, and are only ever deployed defensively. They are able to utilize the heavier pieces of equipment the marines won't normally touch, and place a strong emphasis on defensive combat.

**Ships**  
Their ships, like their buildings are partially grown by bioengineered microbes and then fitted with whatever components are necessary. When construction is finished, the microbes are killed, and their chitin based cell walls remain in place, providing structural rigidity. Their underlying metal skeleton they were grown on remains in place too, providing a secondary defense in critical areas (i.e. the bridge and engine room). Their AI cores are grown as well, as bioengineered superbrains, with processing power somewhat greater than even the strongest conventional AI. Given that they are grown with the ship, they are the ship, connected with it in an inseparable bond. This design is surprisingly strong, and has stunned many an alien shipwright when they realize how the ships are made after encountering them in combat. That said, it is among one of the weaker designs, compensated somewhat by a good shield system. An additional pitfall of Phyrrian ship design, aside from the slightly weak hull is the communication system. Short range, in system communication is on all ships, but long range communication is restricted to the large flagships and heavy cruisers, as well as most fourth fleet vessels (aside from the freight haulers, etc) Overall Phyrrians favor a large number of smaller ships, but the few heavy ships they have are excellent ships.

**Weaponry**  
Weaponry is something the Phyrrians have become grimly skilled in, and their weapon smiths take great pride in their work. Phyrrian weaponry has a distinctive, artisan touch to it, and you know immediately when you are holding something crafted by their claws. It is whenever possible grown in the same style as their ships and buildings. The two primary archetypes of weaponry used by the Phyrrians is a spine throwing design (called PT series weapons from the Maeroon Company) using a synthetic musculature and a charged particle based energy weapon (XA series weaponry, Bael Weaponry). The origins of the XA series is a tightly guarded trade secret, but is suspected to have been adapted from a system of the Yeldir "space dragons" that they use for predation when in a planetary environment. Either way, the effectiveness of the weapons is unquestionable. The XA series comes in three flavors the Charged Particle Beam, Cannon, and Gun. The beam is a continuous fire weapon, that fires on the target and then cycles for a short cool down before firing again. The cannon fires beams in pulses (think the cannons on the cornerian ships in star fox assault but red) and the gun fires blobs of concentrated particles, held together by a strong magnetic field (it is however unguided, the magnetic bottle utilizes an effect of the charged particles themselves for containment).

These weaponry archetypes carry over to space combat, with the PT series being a medium caliber solution also suitable for engaging enemy fighters with a long range, and the XA series being a medium range solution that is the primary "damage dealer" of the Phyrrians. The XA series looks like a relatively wide bore continuous beam, a bright red in color.

The third heavily used weapons archetype is a series of bacteria based weapons. They function by literally digesting the target, be it metallic, plastic, or organic. This is the AB series weapons by the Amal-Biologics Combine. They have an extremophile bacteria line for any target, including a space based line. This is delivered in the form of either a ship to ship missile or bomb, which approaches the target and sprays a foam like net on the target. This foam hardens instantly and provides a vacuum proof habitat for the bacteria as they do their work. It is capable of digesting its way through several meters of armor in about five minutes, making it a excellent weapon for softening up a enemy target. The employment for this type of weapon is not as widespread as others and is primarily used on heavier warships or a few specialty ships built around launching the missiles.  
Infantry weaponry follows a similar pattern to the larger ship based weaponry. A large variety of "insidious" biological weapons are used. Their anti-tank weapon of choice is an AB series weapon, the AB-3 Disintegrator. This weapon uses the same metal digesting bacterium foam to eat its way through enemy tanks. It is a two stage weapon, first hitting the target with a plasma warhead to create a breach in the armor, then the bacteria spray that rapidly immobilizes the tank by dissolving the delicate electronics.

The assault rifle of choice is a PT series gun, as are most "conventional" infantry weapons. The favorite is the PT-40, developed by the Maeroon Company. This weapon is approximately 40 inches long, in the shape of a box with a traditional rifle stock and pistol grip, built to accommodate Phyrrian hand anatomy. The box consists of a four barrel synthetic muscle type launcher similar to that found on Phyrrian warships. This type of weapon design has the benefit of being incredibly quiet while still doing significant damage. The only drawback is that the spines are so big that there is a noticeable drop over long distances. Behind the box structure, additional spines are stored, up to a maximum of twenty with the standard clip, though 40 can be fit in the oversized magazines. The projectiles fired by the PT-40 are about 5 inches long and 1 inch wide, tapering to a needle like point. They have a muzzle velocity of about 760m/s. For long range weapons, the phyrrians use a weapon derived from their charged particle weaponry. The favorite of snipers everywhere is the Bael XA-11. This has an effective range of 3000 meters and is an Anti-material weapon. The Bael XA-20 is used more often by snipers though, as the XA-11 has a very hefty weight. Its effective range is about 2000 meters.  
All Phyrrian Military Personnel have been augmented biologically and cybernetically. The most notable augments are the Heads Up display built into their eyes that can display any form of tactical information, as well as provide aiming assistance for the Phyrrian infantry. This display can also be turned off outside of combat, but the ability to display information directly on the eye was so popular that most civilians have a similar augment. All soldiers also have been biologically altered with a communication suite built into their skull. This system utilizes a microphone built directly onto the jaw bone of Phyrrian soldiers, but can be linked into any audio system.

Vehicles don't play as major a role in the Phyrrian services as the individual infantry soldier does, due to the efficacy of their soldiers, however, out of necessity they still have some. The main focus of their design is to support the infantry, leading the Marines in particular to employ no conventional tanks, just APCs and IFVs, including a hybrid Tank/IFV. Their design philosophy is reminiscent of their warships, in that both they and their weapons systems are typically organic in nature.

The orbital defense platforms of the Phyrrians use a XA derived beam weapon, and some minor amounts of missile platforms. They also have the standard hangar platform for fighters.

Disclaimer- Any properties used within are property of their respective owners, and used strictly for non-profit purposes. Original content property of me.


	2. Chapter 2

**Rock of Kuthian**

Eragon was flummoxed. After all his effort of travelling over an entire ocean back to the ancestral home of humanity, he had nothing to show for it except for a massive, glowing spire of rock. He tried it again, concentrating, focusing all his will, his mind on this one word… crying out in the ancient language in both his mind and verbally, he yelled his true name. Again, the rock of Kuthian pulsed brightly, but nothing else seemed to happen.

Behind him, Saphira gouged the earth with her hind claws, clamping her forelimbs over her head. _"WILL YOU STOP IT… obviously it's not doing anything other than giving us headaches"_.

"I thought I would give it one last try. I just hoped that all of our trouble would have been worth it. This may just cost us the war…" as Eragon trailed off, the silence was interrupted by the loudest _thunder_ he had ever heard… but it was a crystal clear day. As he searched the skies for the source, he saw seven objects tear through the sky, glowing red hot and leaving a gash in the few wispy clouds as they went. He stood there, dumbstruck and followed the progress of the objects as they passed out of view.

Eragon was the first to break the silence _"What do you think that was?"_

"_I know not rider-of-mine, but I do know it is not of this world. My memories are old and many, and I have never witnessed that before."_ Saphira responded, head cocked to the side in a confused expression.

Eragon gently rubbed Saphira on the neck, glad she was there. Though he didn't know what that was, he knew it scared him. Whatever it was, it would mean something major had happened such that the trip to the rock of Kuthian had indeed been worth it. _"Let's go check it out, whatever those objects were, they can't have gotten too terribly far, and they were big enough it should be fairly obvious from the air." _Grabbing a spine, Eragon vaulted onto Saphira's back, and they took to the sky. Saphira smoothly angled to the south east where the objects appeared to have fallen, silently cutting through the air


	3. Chapter 3

**Inbound to Phyrrian Landing Zone Alpha**

"No…no….that doesn't-WHOA where are you trying to force that thing. Be careful, it's kinda big. This is ONLY mY Second TIIIME" he yelled, grunting. The padding gave, and his leg slipped into the armor. Captain Rethyc of the special operation command loathed getting into this armor set. It was the latest and greatest in exoskeleton based armor systems, but it was still a bitch to get on. As far as he could figure, this was due to the nature of it only being in limited production and just out of the alpha stage. Still, it was a pain and needed the assistance of either a squadron of techies or an automated assistance system. The system was composed of a synthetic musculature, with a miniaturized reactor powering an advanced electronics system and a arm mounted charged particle gun. On top of this musculature were several layers of composite armor plating, able to stop powerful lasers, bullets, or any other threats that might appear.

Rethyc clanked over to the nearby locker, placing his claw in the biometrics reader. It unlocked and he removed his helmet, carefully placing it over his horns and arranging his head sceathers so the helmet rested comfortably. As he finished suiting up, he activated the suit. There was a satisfying whirring noise as the reactor powered up and the electronics came online. Looking down the locker room, he could see the rest of his twenty person unit suiting up. They were originally meant to lead a raid on a suspected human colony world, but after their orbital difficulties, the commodore had ordered the mission scrubbed. It was going to take at least a month or two to finish repairing the ships, and they knew very little about the planet they were on. They were going up to full alert, as were all of the marines in the flotilla. He fastened the protective plates on his tail, and turned to brief his team.

"Alright people, I know this isn't exactly what we had planned, but the name of the game will be the same. The marines will be setting up defensive positions around the landing sites. They will keep the ships safe. We will be venturing out to see what we can find out about this lovely planet. It looks like we will be here for awhile, so you might as well get used to it. Be careful with your movements, this planet has a gravitational pull about .5g less than our homeworld, so don't get overzealous. Report to the starboard ramp in five minutes"

*Five minutes later*

As the ramp dropped, the scene that struck Captain Reythc was not at all what he had been expecting. The flotilla had set down in a large grassy plain, and the tree line was visible in the distance. The Captain started down the ramp and turned to examine the status of his unit. They cut an impressive figure, camouflaged armored plates and helmets making already imposing phyrrians all the more intimidating. The group started down the ramp, threading their way through the already landed ships in search of the Lt. Colonel commanding the marine battalion attached to the flotilla. They found him eagerly discussing the layout of the camp with Commodore Faathra.

"Sir, I hear what you are saying, but we don't even know if this continent has the resources needed to repair our ship. At best we can get sublights on, but even that is only about 75% likely. We simply can't stay here" Lt. Colonel Matick finished

Faathra sighed "You are, of course right. I had hoped we would be able to avoid entangling the native population but it looks like they have the only mineral reserves on the planet under control. What are our options concerning water su-"

The Commodore was interrupted by a radio transmission "We got something inbound from the south-southeast." Almost simultaneously everyone in the camp turned to see what it was. Every soldier in and around the camp drew their weapon and aimed it at the intruder. Whatever it was, if it was hostile, it wouldn't be for long. As the target angled in for more speed, the Lt. Colonel gave the order, taking no chances "All personnel, open fire, bring that thing down!" Every soldier within range fired, spines and energy weaponry filled the air, from the front, several missiles sailed from their launchers, tracking the target's heat signature. As it neared, Captain Reythc toggled the zoom on his visor, getting a clear image. It looked just like the ancient mythological dragon humans used to mention. On its back, sat an armor clad humanoid figure. As he watched, the dragon unleashed a torrent of blue flame from its maw, and the spines halted in midair. The energy weaponry simply diffused around the target, and the missiles just fell out of the air, thudding harmlessly into the ground. The beast dropped to the ground in front of the commodore. Its rider leapt from its back with inhuman speed. He ripped off his gauntlet and kneeled before them. He twisted his palm over, showing off a silvery patch of skin and yelled "EKA FRICAI UN SHUR'TUGAL!"

The entire camp stopped what they were doing. Not even the Special Forces soldiers in their exoarmor could bring themselves to point a gun at the almost-human clad in outdated armor.

*30 minutes later*

Eragon was tired, and starting to get annoyed. No matter how many times he tried, or how hard he tried, he simply could not sense these creatures with his mind, either they had incredibly powerful mental shielding abilities, or they simply were not a part of the system that governed all other life on this planet. He stated the phrase again, "Eka fricai un shur'tugal".

The reptiles looked at Eragon with the same blank faces, and then turned to each other, communicating in a weird language consisting of a lot of hissing and an odd growling sound. They nodded at each other before turning to Eragon. Another one of their kin hurried out of the large object behind them, and brought a headset to Eragon. At the encouragement of the odd reptile creatures, Eragon slipped it on his head.

"Greetings friend, I am Skir, PRN AI ZT43921, and I wish to state on behalf of those standing before you, that we come in peace. "

Eragon was stunned. As he thought about a response, he came to the realization, that he could sense the ship, in it rested a huge intelligence, far greater than any he had ever sensed, including Glaedr. In fact, as far as he could tell it surpassed all of the elves put together. As he reached his mind towards it, he was stunned by the sheer amount of pressure; the weight of the knowledge of this creature had was immense, so much he dared not touch it.

"My name is Eragon, I am a Dragon Rider and friend. Tell me about your people, they look alien, completely different than any life form I have seen on this planet."

"We are the Phyrrians. You are correct in your assessment of us. We are not of this planet. Have you ever looked at the stars Eragon? For that is where our home lies. We are here, because during a battle in space above this planet, our ships were damaged by some form of Energy pulse coming from this planet. Though the ships are temporarily not functional, we were able to sense a series of images relayed by the pulse. I realize now that one of them was you, were you the one who called us to this planet?"

"I believe I was. Not long ago I was standing at a rock, which I was told would lead to the salvation of all free people of this planet. I believe that it acted to amplify my message, relaying it across the heavens."

"I see, and what is it that you need our help with?"

"The free people of this planet have lived the past two centuries under the boot of a mad king by the name of Galbatorix. He has powerful arcane abilities, which keep any from daring to challenge his rule. Recently, I had the fortune of my partner here hatching for me. Her name is Saphira. And with her help, we finally stood the chance of being able to eliminate Galbatorix once and for all. However, the king still controls a massive army that we must deal with first. It is this that we need help with. I ask you in the name of all people on this planet, will you help us in our struggle?"

"That we will, on one condition. Our starships need to be repaired, and we have the capability to do so, but we need access to a large supply of organic materials, a swamp will do. We will also need access to a metal mine, preferably Iron. Other than that, we will be happy to help; we Phyrrians value life in all forms, and feel that sentient beings have an inherent right to freedom. Where does your struggle lie though, I assume on the other continent? We will also need to see your maps."

Eragon thought for a moment. "Aye, my land lies across the sea to the East."

"Ok, give the map to the phyrrian in front of you; I will work on updating the translation software to function without me. Tomorrow we will discuss further what course of action to take."


	4. Chapter 4

**Landing Zone Alpha**

The next day

Commodore Faathra checked once more to make sure the translator was working. He loathed having to repeat himself, and patience wasn't one of his virtues. The headset in the half humans ear seemed to be sitting well, and the diagnostics came out fine. While waiting for the Captain Reythc and Lt. Colonel Matick to arrive, he reviewed the plan, looking over the digitized version of the hand drawn map that the half-human Eragon had given them. As the two approached, they saluted him. Faathra returned the salute.

"Alright, let's get to this. We have agreed to provide assistance to the free people of this planet, a group of rebels known as the Varden. The one problem is how we get our forces across the continent with our ships inoperable. Skir, pull up the inventory of the original mission equipment, see how many people we can transport with a decent amount of equipment on the fuel we have." The Commodore looked at the portable projector that Skir was appearing from.

Almost instantly Skir responded "The inventory of transport craft is somewhat lacking unfortunately, all we have available right now are five transports. Two were intended for the SOC teams use and are armed to act as gunship-tankers as well. The other three were meant for the marine quick response team. All in all we can move about 300 men now, plus the twenty of the SOC team. That would leave another 300 for defense of the landing zone and ships until their engines are functional again. We can move more than that, but this is the optimal solution as it allows us to use our three Ravens for critical airstrikes should we need to do that. As I understand it, the enemy army will be composed of a massive amount of infantry and cavalry armed with ancient melee and projectile weapons. Think swords, bows, and arrows."

At this Eragon nodded. "Don't forget the magic users. That will be what truly will decide the battle."

Captain Reythc made a odd clucking noise in the back of his throat that sounded like a cough to Eragon, the Phyrrian equivalent to a chuckle. "And what, exactly are these magic users, how does this work?"

"Well, the term magic is a bit of a misnomer, as it isn't very magical at all. All 'magic' as we know it is, is the usage of mental willpower to affect energy in some form or another. To assist in the focusing of willpower for this purpose, we 'cast spells' by use of what we call the ancient language, a language that describes the true nature of everything there is a word for. It is because of the absolute nature of this language it is also impossible to lie in it. Any sort of lie told in the language will result in death, as will breaking any of the other laws. In creating this relationship, the race that did this also erased them from existence. We refer to them as the 'Grey Folk' but we really know next to nothing about them. One of the most important rules of this system though, is that anything attempted in it will use as much energy as doing it physically will. Make no mistake though, usage of magic is incredibly important, and almost always dominates what happens on the battlefield. The only reason any army has foot soldiers really is that any magic user is vulnerable physically when attempting to break into the minds of another. Me and Saphira together are one of the most powerful users of it the Varden has to offer, so that tends to be my role in battle" Saphira nodded at them from behind Eragon.

"Hmm, in that case, I am putting Captain Reythc and his men under your command. You know the region and the warfare of this planet better than we do. The Marines will be led by you lt. colonel, assign one of your officers to remain behind and see to the camp. I will order the ships to relocate to the other continent the second they get airborne. With any luck we will be reunited within the month. Best of luck to all of us, let's hope this conflict is resolved soon." The Commodore finished, saluting the two one last time before returning to the command ship.

**10 minutes out from the Varden camp south of Dras-Leona.**

Captain Reythc was nervous. Although before they had boarded the transports Eragon had repeatedly reassured them that the battle for Dras-Leona hadn't started yet, flying into unknown territory that was potentially swarming with hostiles made him understandably paranoid. He rechecked his arm mounted Charged Particle Gun, confirming it was linked appropriately with the fusion pack. He then checked the different modes of the weapon. In its base form it was a slow re-firing heavy weapon best suited to taking out enemy tanks. It was able to transform into a rapid fire mode that was akin to a assault rifle, as well as a very accurate long range version that was able to function as a sniper weapon in a pinch. In the words of the techies on Velaines when they first got the suits "it is the last weapon you will ever need".

The gunship/tanker pilot interrupted Reythc's nervous weapons checks over the intercom "Just received a message from Eragon. Looks like a change of plans. The Empire has launched a preemptive attack on the Varden's forward camp and they need assistance. Prepare for a hot LZ, you SOC boys will be going in with Eragon to attack the enemies flank."

"Copy that Rattler lead, alright men, you heard him. Prep for hot drop." As one the troops in the bay stood, donning their helmets and priming their weapons. As the ship slowed and the troop bay doors opened, the sight that met his eyes was something he had seen only in history books. Arrayed on the battlefield were two opposing armies, both massive in size, though the Imperial force seemed to outnumber the varden army 3 to 1. Even still the Varden managed to grimly hold the line, though the defenses were clearly faltering.

"All SOC troops go to communications line red. As soon as we drop, form on WYVERN. Keep them alive at all costs." Captain Reythc leaned out the troop bay. Saphira and Eragon were a blue blur as they closed in for the attack, their every movement perfectly synchronized. Reythc yelled over the radio "go go go!" and hurled himself from the aircraft. He hit the ground hard and left a small crater. Pausing to make sure everything was alright, he dashed off into the battle, pumping his legs in long strides and leaving gouges in the dirt. Tearing a line in the ground, the SOC soldiers rapidly closed with the enemy at a speed of nearly 50 mph. Vaulting into the air, he sighted his charged particle gun on a cluster of troops and fired, a large bolt of red-white energy vaporizing three of the scarlet garbed soldiers in his way. He landed in the blast crater he created in time to see Lt. Saidra dash by, her CPG in AR mode and continuously firing. He tracked her shots as they hit, all but one shot a perfect headshot melting a 3 cm hole in the heads of the enemy. The one miss was picked off by SSgt Banjis with his sniper CPG. Saphira circled back around, strafing another line of troops with her blue flame. Eragon vaulted off her back while she was still in the air, landing boot first on a soldier that survived the strafing. His skull cracked with a sickening crunch, brain material and blood forming a grisly stain on Eragon's boot. Saphira closed her wings and dropped, landing with a thud behind Eragon. She turned to the Empire's troops, unleashing a bloodcurdling roar, and the nearest ones scattered. One of the men which had been standing with the group without a weapon turned and stared at Eragon. Eragon turned and stared back. About five minutes later the man died, clutching his head and screaming in anguish before being silenced. Eragon placed his hand on Saphira's flank sharing some sentiment over that telepathic bond of theirs. Over the chaos of battle, Eragon yelled his command to Captain Reythc.

"The Varden is taking heavy losses on the left flank; fortunately we are behind enemy lines on said flank." Eragon flinched as a stray arrow whizzed by. "Let's get to it, form on me. I will take care of any mages"

Reythc relayed the orders over the team radio. They formed up, ten soldiers on each side of Saphira. They set off, beam weapons and talons cutting through ranks of enemies. Reythc sighted on the nearest troop concentration, firing three shots of pure energy at the soldiers armed with ancient weaponry. The shots sailed through the air, impacting on and around the enemy. Much to Reythc's surprise, the enemy emerged unfazed. "Shift fire to my target!" he yelled, plastering the protected soldiers with beam fire. One by one the soldiers fell to the volley of pure energy as the mage protecting them ran out of power. As the last one fell, the mage himself was all that was left. Though other soldiers were coming to protect him, they were too far away. Eragon leapt from Saphiras back, taking advantage of the distraction his guard provided to finish the mage with his sword. Eragon was a blur as he struck through the mage's body, a clean slash from left shoulder to right hip. The mages body crumpled, blood pooling in the dirt.

Eragon startled Reythc by speaking directly to his mind _"This is getting us nowhere. We need to push forward to Nasuada's position so we can regroup for a assault on the city itself. Is there anything you can do to help us?"_

"WE DO HAVE OUR GUNSHIPS STILL ON STATION, WE CAN GET THEM TO COVER US BUT THEY WON'T BE ABLE TO STICK AROUND LONG!" Reythc yelled over the clamor of battle

"_Do it, I will do what I can to keep the enemy mages occupied"_

Captain Reythc switched to the air support channel. "Rattler 1-1, 1-2. This is Raptor lead. Requesting immediate close air support on our position, bring it danger close. I want you to burn a path for us. Hostiles will be in red."

The gunship pilot seemed stunned by the request "Uh, sir, you want us to drop to visual range?"

"Yes, get in here and stick with us as long as possible."

"Copy that sir, over and out"

The two gunships dropped to hover off the Phyrrians flanks barely fifty meters in the air. The chin mounted charged particle turrets charged up and started firing, red beams cutting through armor and tissue easily. The mages shielding the troops were unable to match the strain the air support put on them, and the enemy army slowly began to fall back to the low mud walls of Dras-Leona, leaving a sizable pile of bodies on the battlefield. As the enemy retreated, the gunships launched several missiles at them, the conventional explosions extinguishing the enemy soldier's lives in a red-orange fireball. As the dust cleared, the pilots came back over the radio

"We are at bingo fuel so we are out of here, best of luck sir." Reythc turned and waved goodbye to the gunship, before running to stand at Eragon's side as she talked to a human with dark skin.

"Your timing is most appropriate, new allies of ours. The enemy has retreated, we must push forward now before they fortify their defense."


End file.
